Lockdown Reflections
Students and staff at Highlands College share their experiences of lockdown through various art forms
At Highlands College we believe
that positive relationships underpin everything that we do . It is these relationships that create a feeling of community within which students feel safe and develop the confidence to learn , and it is this same sense of community that encourages our staff to take pride in what they do .
As a college we were well equipped to meet educational needs during lockdown ; we were ahead of the curve having adopted Teams back in 2017 , so although moving to online teaching was new to us , the concept and technology certainly was not .
Our main concern at the start of lockdown was actually around wellbeing . We had strategies in place that included : surveying students , their families , and staff to ensure that their needs were being met ; telephone calls home ; our ‘ Student Life ’ team remained available to offer support throughout the lockdown and Summer break ; wellbeing sessions and workshops were introduced , along with online forums ...
... But we also understood the importance of maintaining the Highlands College sense of community : finding ways to engage with staff and students from a distance was another concern .
Students and staff were encouraged to get involved with College-led activities or to share with others what they had been doing . The level of engagement was astounding , with Friday afternoon socials scheduled on Teams , sport challenges , cook offs and bake offs . We had students who composed their own music and performed through video , we had others who sent in makeup and hairdressing tutorials .
The art department challenged their students to choose one positive and one negative lockdown experience each . They were given blank postcards and asked to represent their experiences through art .
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